The Jets Are So Desperate for Offensive Linemen That They're Asking Kyle Long to Come Out of Retirement

Both head coach Adam Gase and GM Joe Douglas agreed that the New York Jets needed major improvements along the offensive line, and they tried their best to fix that in free agency. They signed players like Connor McGovern, George Fant, and Greg Van Roten and used a first-round pick on Louisville left tackle Mekhi Becton as well as a fourth-round pick on Charlotte tackle Cameron Clark, who will be converted into a guard.

But the Jets are still looking for more depth as they try to protect Sam Darnold, and that quest has forced them to attempt wooing guard Kyle Long, who retired after seven seasons with the Chicago Bears, back to football.

Long has three Pro Bowls to his name, and he was one of the best guards in the league in the first half of the decade, but injuries got the better of him late in his career, as he played just 30 games during the last four seasons of his career, including just four in 2019.

This unusual move from Douglas and the Jets comes one year after they brought former Carolina Panthers All-Pro Ryan Kalil out of retirement. Kalil played in just seven games, and was provably one of the worst all-around blockers in the game. Why do they think it'll be any different with the injury-prone Long?

The Jets already struck out last year in attempting to do this, so the fact that Gase and Douglas are trying it again is extremely puzzling.